A Heartbreaking Story
by Jewels66
Summary: Karen is going through a rough time with her almost-boyfriend, Rick. So many things are happening! Find out what happens. The 8th, 9th, and 10th Chapters are set a year after the rest of the chapters. Please R&R!
1. Everything Changed

Everything Changed

**A/N: This story is told in Karen's perspective. Many more character's come into the story as the chapters go on. **

I remembered the day as if it had happened yesterday. It was all so horrible. Since you don't know what I am talking about, I will start from the VERY beginning to clue you in.

A few months ago, a girl named Ada moved to the abandoned farm down the street. She was really nice and so I welcomed her, and thought nothing would go wrong.

Everyday, Rick and I would meet each other to hang-out for a while. We have known each other since we were born. Mineral Town is small, and so there aren't many people there. He is always supposed to be shopping but decides to be with me instead. He is so good to his mother. She is very sick you know.

Anyways, a little off topic there! Ada started to be around Rick more and more, whenever I wasn't. Lots of other people were noticing it too. Only they though it was "cute" and weren't worried about it, or him. But for me, it was something totally different.

One Monday, Rick didn't show up to our regular meeting spot. I became slightly curious, but let it pass for that day.

The next day, he did show up.

"Hi!" I greeted.

"Hey!" he said back.

My mind started to bubble with questions, but I held myself back. I feared he would think I was jealous. Maybe that would push him away even more.

"Sorry I didn't show up yesterday," he said looking down at the ground. "My mother wasn't feeling well and I had to look after a lot for her."

My heart sympathized for him. I thought he had been with Ada, but maybe I was wrong.

"Well," I said lying. "I thought it might be something like that."

We talked for hours, as he poured out all his feelings to me.

"I'm just so worried about her," he whispered, almost in tears.

"Don't worry, she'll get through all this."

After a few minutes, he said he had to leave and we both said good-bye to each other. But as I headed home, I couldn't help but think of how I had wrongly misjudged him.

The day following, he wasn't there again but I wasn't suspicious this time. I knew his mother wasn't well and I decided not to jump to conclusions.

Thursday, I saw Lilia shopping in the market.

"Hi, how are you feeling?" I asked, with a slightly sympathetic tone.

"I'm feeling really well," Lilia replied. "I am sure I will be fine all through this coming week."

"That's wonderful," I said.

"You know, my husband just got back and brought me the cure today?" she said quite happily. "I should be fine from now on. It was so nice of him to go and get that for me!"

Now I was curious. If she had been cured today, where was Rick?

"Do you mind my asking, where's Rick?" I quickly blurted.

"Um. I do think that he is over visiting Ada," she said with a smile. "She called on him this morning to help her with one of her chickens."

_Oh no! _I thought. _I was right! She is moving in on my guy!_

"Please excuse me Lilia. I must go pick up something for my father!" I knew that I had lied twice, but I'd go and talk to Carter about that later.

I ran out of the market, slamming the door behind me. Going down the road, I was running so fast, I practically walked over Mayor Thomas on his morning stroll.

"Sorry," I shouted as I ran past him. "I'm in a hurry."

"I can see that!" he shouted back.

I finally reached Ada's house, Lillylane farm. I crept up to the window to take a look inside.

There, I saw the image that painfully shattered my heart. In the middle of the room, Ada and Rick were hugging. When they finished, they kissed each other on the cheeks.

_I'm too late! _I thought, as tears started to roll down my cheeks.

All of a sudden, it started to rain. I decided there was no point in staying; it would just strangle my heart even more. I ran all the way home.

The next day, I had a cold and my heart had a hole. I stayed in bed all day, for I could not get up to save my life.

On Saturday, I decided that there was no point in moping around all day. I got up and went to the spot Rick and I usually met at, not expecting him to show. But, when I got there, he was standing there, with a smile on his face.

All of a sudden, he ran over to me.

"Did you hear?" he shouted with glee. "My mom has been cured and my dad is finally home! Isn't that fantastic?"

Right then and there, I didn't know what to say.

**A/N: So was it utterly horrible? Please write nice reviews. I have never written this kind of story before, so sorry if I am ripping off someone else's story! Keep reading on through the rest of the chapters.**

**Disclaimer: The characters of Karen, Lilia, Rick, Popuri, Kai, and Carter do not belong to me. Neither do Mineral Beach, or Mineral Town. They all belong to Natsume. Ada is just a made-up character.**


	2. Backfire

Backfire

**A/N: This is a continuation.**

"Well," said Rick. "Aren't you going to say something? Aren't you happy for me?"

"Of course I'm happy!" I said with the biggest, fake smile I could make. "Lilia had already told me on Thursday though. Sorry! It's just I saw her in the market and you didn't show up because……"

I decided to stop talking then and there. He didn't know that I had seen him with Ada on Thursday night. They didn't know that I had been peeking through the window, spying like the little mouse I was.

_Oh no!_ I thought to myself. _What have I gotten myself into? I've made this one huge catastrophic bomb that will go off and burn me, no one else!_

Rick stood there with a curious look on his face. He just stared at me, detecting something wrong. He knew me too well not to know that there was something going on. I quickly looked away, so that I didn't make eye contact for too long.

"Karen?" he asked. "Is everything alright? Or do you have something to tell me?"

_Tick…tick…tick…tick…BOOM!_

All of a sudden, without even thinking, I poured everything out to Rick. It had been inside me and burning me for too long and I felt I owed it to him to tell him.

"There were those few days when you didn't show up. I got curious because you and that girl Ada had been together so often. I started to get jealous and thought you were going with her and just dropping me like the snap of fingers. I didn't know what to do, but when you told me about your mom I figured you were telling the truth. So I believe you and let it pass."

It felt so good to get that out, but he didn't know that I wasn't done.

"Well…." he started to say.

"But then," I interrupted. "On Thursday, when I saw your mom at the market, she told me that Ada had called on you, and that you were at her house. So I ran all the way to her house. But when I got there, my heart was crushed. That image of you and Ada hugging and kissing while I watched through the window has not left my mind. I have a hole in my heart from where your love used to be for me. That night, when I was running home, it was raining. I got a cold and had to stay in bed the next day. That's why I didn't see you. I also haven't talked to you for fear of you getting angry at me. But I love you and I didn't want you to leave me for her."

Just then, I knew that I had said too much. Rick just stared at me, trying to take it all in. I knew it was a lot, but it felt wonderful to get it all out. Hopefully, now, it would clear up our relationship.

Suddenly, Rick walked away, and for the next few days, I didn't see him and he didn't talk to me.

I knew that I had made a huge mistake confessing everything. It may have put a strain on our relationship.

About a week later, on a rainy Sunday, I decided to go to the church to talk to Carter. When I walked in the door, there at the front of the church talking to Carter, was Rick. I stared at him, as Lilia and Popuri looked at the two of us with confusion.

Suddenly, he turned and saw me. Fear struck me like a brick in my face.

**A/N: Please post kind reviews and I hope to be adding another chapter soon!**

**Disclaimer: The characters of Karen, Lilia, Rick, Popuri, Kai, and Carter do not belong to me. Neither do Mineral Beach, or Mineral Town. They all belong to Natsume. Ada is just a made-up character.**


	3. It's Time to Talk

It's Time to Talk

**A/N: As you can tell, I have been bored all day today, so I have written all 3 chapters in the same afternoon. Again, this entire story, A Heartbreaking Story, is all told through Karen's perspective of what's happening. Enjoy!**

The whole church was silent. No one said a word as they watched; wondering what was going to happen next. I felt as though they were predators and I was their prey; all eyes were on me.

Rick walked towards me and my heart started to pound so fast, I thought it was going to burst out of my chest.

"Hi," he said shyly. "How have you been doing?"

"I've been better," I replied with a slight grin. I was so happy that he had decided to talk to me again. This was the first time we had ever gone so long without talking.

"Let's take a walk," he whispered, as he grasped my hand. "We have some things we need to sort out."

I felt like we were being watched. As I turned around, everyone in the church, all 6 pairs of eyes were watching us. I looked back again, just as the door was closing, to see through the crack that everyone was talking as if nothing had ever happened.

Rick led me all the way to Mineral Beach so that we could be alone. We sat down in silence. After a few minutes, I decided I had something to say.

"I'm sorry," I blurted out.

Rick looked at me funny.

"I've been thinking," he said. "I feel that it is only fair that I share the whole story with you, because it's my fault that I didn't tell you."

I sat there, not saying anything, waiting for him to continue. I was eager to hear his side of the story.

"That first day, the Monday, when I didn't show up, it was because my mother was sick. She gave Popuri and me a list of errands to run for her. I had some things that I had to go away to do, and Popuri was given a list of things to do in town. That's why you didn't see me at all that day."

Rick just sat there, staring at his feet, not wanting to look me in the face. I felt so bad for him. With his father gone, he had been doing everything for his mother and his sister, especially running the Poultry Farm.

"The Tuesday and Wednesday, my mother still wasn't feeling well, but I had to see you, so I took Tuesday as my chance. I knew that if my father was going to be gone a long time, I would have to take care of my family. That's why I had that heart-to-heart moment with you on Tuesday. I had a lot on my mind."

He paused. I could tell that he was holding back some of his thoughts. I didn't want to rush him, as he was doing me a favor, so I sat there patiently, waiting for him to continue.

"Then, early Thursday morning, my dad came home from his adventure. He had brought the cure for my mom. She was so happy to see him, but had no strength. We gave her the cure and she said that she felt better than ever. That's why you saw her shopping."

_I can't believe I have accused him of so many things! _I thought. _His life is so much harder than mine. I know he loves me, too! Oh why did I ever have to think all that stuff and do everything I did!? Harvest Goddess, please save me now!_

"Later that morning, Ada called us. She was having trouble with her chicken, Lucy. Lucy kept on eating all the other chicken's feeds. So, my mom told her that since my dad was resting from his trip, I would go over to check on Lucy, and figure out the problem."

_Why did I ever doubt what Lilia had told me? I should have just trusted Rick in the first place!_

"Well, after we figured out the problem with her chicken, Ada invited me into her house for a cup of tea, because she didn't have the money to pay us yet. So, while having our tea, we got talking. I told her about my dad coming home and my mom being cured. I was also talking to her about how I haven't gotten much time to spend with my girl…you!"

I was a little shocked with what he had said. I felt like one of those cartoon characters when my mouth dropped.

_Why on earth would he be telling her that?_ I thought.

**A/N: Hope that you enjoyed!**

**Disclaimer: The characters of Karen, Lilia, Rick, Popuri, Kai, and Carter do not belong to me. Neither do Mineral Beach, or Mineral Town. They all belong to Natsume. Ada is just a made-up character.**


	4. What Now?

What Now?

**A/N: So, I am hoping that you like this story so far, because I have never written this kind of romance. Hopefully it is okay! Please post reviews!**

"Why were you telling Ada about me?" I asked, practically interrupting. I was just so eager to know what they had been doing when I looked in the window.

"Don't worry," he reassured me. "I'm getting to that part. Do you mind if I continue my story now?"

I shook my head, even though he already knew the answer…..I WAS DYING TO KNOW!

"I started telling Ada about how I was really starting to like you. I asked her for a few suggestions, and we both agreed on one of them. You will find out about that another day. I don't feel like explaining that right now."

I nodded, just wanting to hear the rest.

"Ada was really happy for me, and I wanted to thank her for the advice. We came to a conclusion to be FRIENDS and that we were even for the work I had done. I realized that I had been there a long time and needed to get home to look after the business, because my mom was out, my dad was resting and….."He paused and sighed. "….Popuri was writing letters to her boyfriend…..Kai."

I had known that Popuri and Kai liked each other, but I never knew that they were dating! Rick did not like Kai, so I knew that he was not okay with this.

"To say good-bye, we both stood up and hugged each other. Then, I kissed her on the cheek as a thank-you, because she was so kind. That must have been when you looked through the window; when we were saying good-bye."

I looked in his eyes and he looked back into mine. Suddenly, I found myself hugging him, bawling my eyes out.

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" I found myself saying this over and over and over.

Then, I felt his arms around me, hugging me back. He sat there patiently as I cried, and told him over and over again how sorry I was.

Finally, when I had gotten a hold of myself, I sat up and looked at him. At that moment, I knew we were both thinking the same thing.

_How could this have happened?_

Just a few days ago, we had been best friends. We shared everything, told each other all of our secrets, and were inseparable. But now, this of all things had to happen to us.

Suddenly, I knew that there was only one thing left to say to him.

"Rick," I started. "I lo….."

"There you are!"

I turned around to see Lilia, Popuri, and Rick's father staring at us. I turned back quickly, so that they could not see my tear-stained face.

"I'd better be going," said Rick. "How about I meet you tomorrow?"

"That would be great," I replied with a small grin.

"Mother's Hill Peak at 5."

"I'll be there," I said. He got up and left with his family, leaving me alone with my thoughts on the silent beach.

After what had seemed like 3 hours of time by myself, I decided to walk back home. I knew that my parents would probably be wondering where I had been. I hadn't seen them at all today.

When I got home, I grabbed some ice cream from the freezer, and treaded up the stairs to my bedroom. I flopped on my bed and started to eat the comforting frozen treat.

I lay down and stared at the ceiling, wondering about my relationship with Rick.

_What now?_ I thought to myself.

As I thought about my day, my eyes started to close, and I drifted into a deep sleep.

**A/N: So? Don't you just feel horrible for both of them? I DO! And I don't really like Karen or Rick! Uh well! Hopefully the story is good though!**

**Disclaimer: The characters of Karen, Lilia, Rick, Popuri, Kai, and Carter do not belong to me. Neither do Mineral Beach, or Mineral Town. They all belong to Natsume. Ada is just a made-up character.**


	5. Silent Healing

Silent Healing

**A/N: Okay… here is another chapter. Hopefully this one is as good as the rest.**

The wind blew coldly as I stood on the peak of Mother's Hill. It had only been yesterday when Rick and I had started to patch things up.

Everything over the past few weeks had just made it seem like a tornado had blown into our town and destroyed everything that was there before.

I looked down at my watch. 4:58. In 2 minutes, Rick would be here, and I would have to again, clean up the huge mess that I had made.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me, and then I felt a hand on my shoulder. I quickly swung around, expecting it to be Rick. Well, it wasn't. I was now looking into Ada's face, something that I never would have expected.

_Why is she here at 5 o'clock? _I wondered. _I thought everyone would be at home eating supper with their families. _

"What are you doing here?" asked Ada. "I thought I would be alone. I kind of presumed that everyone would be eating dinner with their families. Why aren't you?"

I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to tell her the real reason I was here, so I just didn't add that information in. Nor did I add in the information that she had messed up Rick and my relationship.

"Um, I already had supper with my family," I lied. "We eat rather early!"

"Oh, well, to be honest," she said looking at the ground. "I thought that you would have been with Rick."

"Um….I….well…" I didn't know what to answer to that. All I knew was that Rick was going to be here soon and I didn't want her to be part of the conversation we would be having! "I'm actually here….um…waiting for him. He should be here any minute."

"Oh, well..." I could tell that she was embarrassed. "I should be going. I came up here looking for Gotz. I need to talk to him about my house extension. Anyways, I'll be going now! Bye!"

"Bye!" I shouted as she walked back down the mountain.

Again, I was alone waiting for Rick. 5:05.

_Where is he? _I thought. _He should be here by now. It's not like him to be late._

"Hi!" said a voice behind me.

I jumped, not expecting it to interrupt my thought process. I turned around to see Rick with a smile on his face.

"Sorry I'm late," he said apologetically. "I had to cook supper for my family. How are you? I almost thought that maybe you weren't going to show up!"

"Well," I started. "Here I am." I decided to leave out the part about Ada coming and me sitting here by myself for so long. He would just get all worried.

"Look," he said. "I forgive you for everything that you did. I could never love anyone more than you."

"You love me?" I gave him a funny look as I said this. He had known for many years that I liked him, but never had he shown in any way that he liked me back.

"Of course," he said. "I always have and I always will. I just don't show it as much as you do. But I do care about you. That's why I am always looking out for you. I also figured that's why you were looking through the window when you saw me and Ada."

I sat in silence. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know if there was anything TO say. I could tell by the look on his face, that he knew I was confused.

"How about we just forget everything that happened and move on?"

"I LOVE that idea….and you!" And right as I said that, I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

Then, he grasped my hand, and we sat there. We sat there until the sun had gone all the way down, and the moon had come all the way up, in silence.

"It's getting late. How about I walk you home?" he offered.

"That would be wonderful!"

And so, we walked all the way to my house, still holding hands. We talked about what we both had done that day, and planned when we were going to see each other next.

"Well," he said. "How about we go on an actual date, to the beach, in 2 weeks?"

"That would be so great!" I said. "You don't know how long I have been waiting for you to ask that!"

And right then, on my front door step, in the porch light, we shared our first kiss.

**A/N: So, do you like the outcome so far? I don't think I am done yet though. I am going to make at least one more chapter to finish off the story. Don't you want to find out what happens on the date?**

**Disclaimer: The characters of Karen, Lilia, Rick, Popuri, Kai, Gotz, and Carter are not mine. Neither is Mineral Town, Mineral Beach, Mother's Hill, or Mother's Peak. They all belong to Natsume. Ada is just a made-up character.**


	6. BandAids

Band-Aids

**A/N: Okay, the title of this chapter may be a bit random, but it will make sense. Hopefully this is okay, because I wrote it in homeroom. Sorry this chapter is a little longer than the rest!**

I was standing in the kitchen, cutting an apple that I was going to use in a pie. Suddenly, someone's voice behind me made me jump.

"Hi." I turned around to see Rick staring at my finger. "Oh no! You cut your finger!" he exclaimed. "Where are the band-aids? I'll get you one."

"They're in the drawer on the right hand side of the sink." I quickly turned around and ran my finger under cold water.

"I found it!" Rick shouted, holding it up in the air while I dried my hands with paper towel. "Here, I will help you with it!"

He unpeeled the band-aid and wrapped it neatly around my boney finger.

"Thanks!" It was so nice of him to help me with that. But, then I remembered something: "So why are you here?"

"Oh…yeah…right…" he paused. We had a date coming up tomorrow, Thursday night, and I was worried he had come over to cancel on me. "I just wanted to make sure that you're coming tomorrow. And, can you make the food and fill the picnic basket?"

"Yeah," I replied. "I'm still coming and I can bring the food." I knew all the foods that he liked and he thought I was the best cook.

_I can take my apple pie,_ I thought. _He'll love it!_

"Great!" he said enthusiastically. And with that, he left, carefully closing the door behind him.

_Rick sure has been acting weird lately. I think he's planning something secretly for tomorrow night. But boy, am I wiped!_

Well, no matter what it was, I needed a good nights rest! I asked my mom if she could finish the pie, and then climbed into bed.

The next morning, I arose to the bird's chirping and the sun shining. It was the perfect Thursday to go on a picnic with Rick.

I got dressed and went downstairs, to find that my mother had baked mostly everything for the picnic AND had made me pancakes for breakfast! It all looked too good to be true!

"Oh my gosh!" I said. My mom had a huge smile on her face. "It all looks so wonderful!"

"Well," she started. "You looked so wiped yesterday that I decided to do it all for you."

"Thank you so much!" And with that, I ran over to her and gave her a huge hug.

I packed everything up in the basket, and decided to get everything ready for Rick and me. But, first, I had an errand to run for my dad. I had to go and pick up some lumber from Gotz. So, I headed down the path between the Poultry Farm, and Yodel Farm to go and see Gotz.

"Ding" The little bell chimed as I walked in through the door.

"Hi Gotz," I said.

"Hello Karen! How can I help you?" he asked, very happily.

"I need 10 pieces of lumber for my dad, please." He gave me a strange look as I said this. "He needs it for the stove in our house. It works by wood, and my mom and I used it all last night for the baking we did."

"Oh. Alright," He gave a funny look, but then gave a grin. I could tell that he had an idea I was not going to like. "Why don't you come out into the forest and help me? I could really use some help carrying the lumber back. And, I wanted to show you something."

"Alright," I said. "Let's get going. I have somewhere to be in an hour." I didn't have a very good feeling about this, but I went along with it anyways.

Outside, I followed Gotz, hoping he would know the way. We were nowhere near the Hot Spring, so I had no idea where I was going. He led me all the way to this little lake.

_I never knew that this was here!?_

"So," he murmured. "What do you think of this place?"

"It's really pretty," I replied, watching what I was saying.

"I come up here to think a lot," he said, looking straight at the ground. Then, he looked up at me. "It gets really lonely out here, in the brush."

"Yeah," I stated. "I can only imagine." I kept on getting this funny feeling.

_Man,_ I thought. _Gotz is acting just a little strange!_

"So…" he started to talk again, breaking into my thoughts. "Want to come and help me over here? We can start chopping some of this wood so that you can get going."

"Sure," I said, rushing over to him. I wanted to get this done fast so that I could go and see Rick… WITHOUT being late.

After Gotz had chopped all 10 pieces of lumber, he helped me carry it back to his hut so I could help pay him for it.

I started rummaging through my bag to find another gold coin.

_Where is it? I know it's in here somewhere!_

"Karen?"

"Just a minute," I said, still looking for the coin. "Aha! I found it!" I put it on the counter and he printed out the receipt. "Sorry, what did you want?"

"Um," he murmured. "I think what I'm about to do will explain it."

Suddenly, Gotz leaned in over the desk. I was hoping he would hand me the receipt and kick me out, but then he did nothing near what I had hoped. He planted one right on my lips!

Quickly, I jumped back.

"GOTZ!" I was furious. "What were you thinking?"

"What were YOU thinking?" said a voice behind me.

I swung around to see the door open. Rick stood there, with a tear rolling down his cheek.

All of a sudden, I woke up. Sweat was rolling down my face.

_It was only a nightmare! None of that actually happened!_

If any of that had actually happened, 3 things would have resulted: Rick would hate me, I would be staying away from Gotz FOREVER, and I would never forgive myself!

**A/N: So? What did you think of that obvious twist at the end? I bet you never saw THAT coming!**

**Disclaimer: The characters of Karen, Lilia, Rick, Popuri, Kai, Gotz, and Carter are not mine. Neither is Mineral Town, Mineral Beach, Mother's Hill, or Mother's Peak. They all belong to Natsume. Ada is just a made-up character.**


	7. My Crushed Heart

My Crushed Heart

**A/N: Okay, this chapter may be long since it is the last chapter. Hope I don't make anyone cry! LOL!**

Walking down the path, my mind kept trailing off, back to the dream I'd had last night. I was on my way to meet Rick at Mineral Beach. I had sworn a vow of silence to myself not to tell Rick about my nightmare.

_I hope that nightmare didn't mean anything symbolically. _I thought of what it could have meant. _It felt SO real! I actually almost thought it was all happening to me! _

Suddenly, a cat jumped out of a bush at me, interrupting my thoughts.

"Ahh!" I screamed. The picnic basket and I fell to the ground with a THUD!

_Oh no, _I thought. _I'm going to be late to meet Rick. _

I scrambled to get to my feet and grab the picnic basket. I then ran as fast as I could to get to the beach on time.

Once I was there, I looked all around. No sign of Rick. Actually, the beach looked rather deserted. I sat down with the picnic basket beside me, and watched the crashing waves while deep in thought.

_5:00. I'm right on time. Where could Rick be? Why is he late to everything lately?_

"Hey Karen," a familiar voice chimed behind me. I turned around to see Popuri standing behind me. She came and sat down beside me.

_What is she doing here? _I wondered. _I'm supposed to meet her brother here, not her! _

"Hi Popuri," I said. "What are you doing here?"

"My brother couldn't come, so he asked me to meet you here and explain something to you." Popuri kept on looking at the ground as she was talking to me. I could tell by the tone of her voice, it was something I would want to here from Rick.

"Okay," I started. "You may keep on explaining."

"Thank you," she said. "As you know, Rick had something he had to tell you after the incident with Ada. Well, I now have to tell you what that is."

My mind now buzzed with ideas of what it could be. Popuri would not look up at me, meaning it was probably bad news; something I didn't want to hear!

"Okay, I will just come out with it now and get it over with." She paused for awhile, and then looked up to say: "Rick is joining the military."

At that moment, my heart practically stopped beating, and cracked into two pieces.

_How could he do this to me? And why didn't he tell me himself? _

I didn't know why, but I was going to find out!

"Where is he?" I demanded.

"He's packing, in his room," said Popuri. She had this sympathetic look. I knew that she could tell I was hurting inside.

I ran as fast as I could to the Poultry Farm. I slammed open the door and shouted: "Rick! Are you here? We need to talk! Where are you?"

"He's not here," said Lilia, as she came around the corner from the kitchen. "He left about a half-hour ago to go and see you at your house. Then he's going to catch his boat."

_Oh no,_ I thought. _It might be too late. I have to find him. _

Again, I raced through the door, slamming it in my furry of anger. I ran all the way to my house, and as soon as I opened the door, I yelled: "Mom! Dad!"

They both came running from upstairs.

"What is it sweetie?" they asked. They both looked at me with confusion.

"Has Rick already been here?" I quickly blurted out.

"Yes," my mother said. "He has. He said for you to meet him at the dock of Mineral Beach!"

"But that's where I just was!" I cried.

And so, again, I ran as fast as my legs could carry me all the way to Mineral Beach's dock. I got there very out of breath. When I looked all around, there was no sign of Rick.

"Rick?" I shouted. "Are you still here?"

There was no answer. My boyfriend had left to join the military without a good-bye…..and I feared I would never see him again! It felt like someone had ripped my heart out, stuck a knife through it, and then thrown it in the ocean.

_I hate love!_ I thought to myself. _And I hope that I never fall in love again!_

**A/N: So what did you think? Heartbreaking, isn't it? Please post kind reviews! And thanks for all the readers!**

**Disclaimer: The characters of Karen, Lilia, Rick, Popuri, Kai, Gotz, and Carter are not mine. Neither is Mineral Town, Mineral Beach, Mother's Hill, or Mother's Peak. They all belong to Natsume. Ada is just a made-up character.**


	8. The Unexpected

The Unexpected

**A/N: Okay, so someone told me that I should continue the story, and I cam up with an interesting idea. This chapter takes part 1 year after Chapter 7: My Crushed Heart.**

"You are sooooo funny!" I laughed, after Cliff had just told me a joke. We walked hand-in-hand down the mountain.

_It is such a beautiful day, and Cliff is being such a gentleman!_ I thought.

Sorry if you are a little confused, but I will attempt to explain it to you.

After I had found out that my boyfriend-at-the-time, Rick, had left to join the army (without saying good-bye), I layed in bed and stayed in my house for two weeks, moping around and crying.

All I could think was _He told me he loved me! How could he just LEAVE me?_

Those two weeks passed, and I decided that I needed to live my life better instead of feeling sorry for myself and broken hearted. The horse race was coming up and I really wanted to go. The mayor was counting on me to be a judge.

Well, on my way there, I ended up tripping and falling in front of the winery. Luckily, Cliff was in the yard and came to my rescue. As soon as we looked into each other's eyes, we knew that there was a little spark of something there.

And that was it! We have been inseparable since then! We have gone on 8 dates and spend pretty much every evening together, either walking along the beach, or at the top of Mother's Peak looking out at the stars.

And so, you are now caught up on everything.

"Want to go and get something to eat at Kai's?" Cliff asked. "I heard that he came back early to see Popuri and asked if he could open the shop early for us!"

"That sounds wonderful," I replied. _This is turning out to be a great day! _I though._ We just went on a walk, and now we're going out to lunch, too!_

We walked all the way through town, talking and laughing, hand-in-hand. When we got to the beach, Cliff sat me down on a rock while he went to get our lunch from Kai's restaurant.

Listening to the sound of the waves, I began to go into a relaxing state of mind, almost in my own world.

"Karen?"

_It was nice while it lasted! _I thought.

I turned around to see a face that I had not been expecting to see. Not now, and not here. I wasn't expecting to see this person for a long time. Especially since I didn't want to talk to him.

"Rick?"

I was shocked and confused.

**A/N: Now, if you are worried about where I am going with this, don't worry. I definitely don't like Karen, but the Karen that I have created…I don't want to see her get hurt.**

**Disclaimer: The characters of Karen, Lilia, Rick, Popuri, Kai, and Carter do not belong to me. Neither do Mineral Beach, Mother's Peak, or Mineral Town. They all belong to Natsume. Ada is just a made-up character.**


	9. Bringing Up the Past

Bringing Up the Past

**A/N: So, I believe that this will be the second to last chapter in this story as I am running out of ideas and would like to start a new story for something else. **

When I had turned around, I was never expecting to see Rick. He was the last person on my mind. I figured that he'd forgotten all about me since he left me for the army without even saying good-bye.

"What are _you_ doing here?" I gave him a very blank look as I wanted to show no emotion.

"Well…I…I just thought that maybe you missed me, and…" he stuttered. "I missed you."

I didn't know what to say. A wave of mixed emotions came over me.

"No, in fact, I didn't miss you. I didn't really even think about you…" And right then I knew I had hurt his feelings as his face turned to sadness.

_I don't care if I hurt his feelings,_ I thought. _He's hurt mine…what? About three or four times now?_

"But, I thought we loved each other?" he said, with tears in his eyes.

"Well, I did. But then you left me without even saying good-bye, even after everything that had just gone on before." I could feel the tears rising in my eyes, too.

"I…I…I'm so sor--" but he didn't get to finish his sentence, because right at that time, Cliff, Kai, and Popuri came laughing out of Kai's restaurant.

"Oh!" shrieked Popuri and she ran over to Rick. "I've missed you so much! I'm so glad that you're home! Look! Kai asked me to marry him, and I said 'YES'!" She gave him a hug and then showed him the ring on her tiny finger.

"Oh, well congratulations, to both of you," he said, still looking down at the ground. He turned his face to me just for a minute and said, "Well, I better be going home."

"Bye Rick," yelled Popuri, Kai, and Cliff.

"Are you okay hon?" asked Cliff as he walked over towards me.

"Yeah, I'll be back in a minute," I replied, as I ran after Rick. "Rick! Wait up!" He stopped and turned to look at me.

"I'm so sorry," he said. "I never meant to hurt you. I hope that you and Cliff are happy."

"You know," I started, "we could have stayed together if you had just said good-bye and explained to me why you were leaving."

"I know," he said. "But, I realized something the day that I was leaving."

"And what was that?" I asked curiously.

"That I loved you!" He smiled for a few moments. His smile faded as he said, "And so I had to let you go, because I was going to the army and I had no idea what would happen. I couldn't just ask you to put your life on hold for me." He paused for a few moments. "I want you to stay with Cliff, because I have to go back to the army. I am only here for a few days."

I didn't know what to say after he had just poured everything out to me. I stood there, stunned, with a blank expression on my face. I had millions of thoughts, ideas, and emotions running through my head. The world in front of me, started to spin.

_What is going on?_ I thought. _I just don't understand. I just don't get it. I mean, it makes sense, but I don't get it!?_

"But…" I started, but Cliff interrupted me: "I mean it. I still don't know what will happen to me because there is a country going to war and it is my duty. I just came to say good-bye to everyone." He paused, looking down at his feet with a sad expression. When he looked up, one single tear rolled down his cheek, as we hugged and kissed and said 'Good-bye.'

Walking back to the beach, my vision began to blur. I realized that I was crying, but I wasn't sure what I was crying about. I wasn't in love with Rick anymore, and I was still hurt by his actions before he left, but it was still sad.

"Are you alright?" asked Cliff, as he came to my side to guide me to a log to sit on. "Did he hurt you again?"

I shook my head to say 'No,' and Cliff pulled me into a tight hug. "He's going b-back to th-the army and saying his f-f-final good-byes today…" was all I could manage to get out. But as I cried, while wrapped in Cliff's arms, everything felt like it was going to be okay.

**A/N: Okay, so I need to write one more chapter just to close it off a bit. I have an idea for the ending, even though it is going to be sad. Uh well.**

**Disclaimer: The characters of Karen, Lilia, Rick, Popuri, Kai, Cliff and Carter do not belong to me. Neither do Mineral Beach, Mother's Peak, or Mineral Town. They all belong to Natsume. **


	10. The End to a Sad Story

The End to a Sad Story

**A/N: Okay, so this is officially the LAST chapter in this story. I was going to make chapter 9 the last one, but I felt that it needed this one for closure. Enjoy!**

As Cliff and I walked, hand-in-hand through Main Square, Popuri came running up to us.

"Look! Look!" she yelled as she ran waving something in the air. It was a crumpled piece of paper.

"What is it?" Cliff asked as Popuri caught her breath.

"It's a letter," she shrieked, "from Rick!" She shoved the paper to me so that I could read it aloud. It read:

'_Dearest Ma, Pa, and Popuri (& Kai),_

_I miss you all dearly. The place here is horrible and filled with nothing but violence, drunks, gambling, and so many other disgusting things. I wish I could be at home with (almost) all of you. How is everyone doing? And how are all the chickens doing? I miss waking up to them every morning._

_Ma, how have you been feeling lately? I hope that you are feeling better now that Pa has brought you the cure._

_Pa, I hope that you are feeling better from your journey. I wish I could be there to help you out with the work on the farm._

_Popuri, I hope that you are happy and Kai isn't doing anything wrong to you. I wish you congratulations on your engagement and hope to be there for the ceremony._

_Kai, please be nice to my sister. I am trying to be nicer to you now that we will be brother-in-laws. Please keep her happy (and be ready for bridezilla on the wedding day!)_

_And a special note for Karen,'_

I stopped reading. I couldn't believe that he had mentioned me in a note to his family. I decided to read on to find out what he had to say.

'_I am sorry for having hurt you. I never wanted to. I give you my best wishes with Cliff and hope that you two are very happy together. Will see you when I come back home._

_I love you all._

_Sincerely yours,_

_Rick.'_

I couldn't speak. I didn't know what to say. We were all at a loss of words.

"Well," I started to say, but I couldn't find anything to say after that. "I really don't know what to say!"

"Us either," said Cliff and Popuri. Popuri giggled. "Well, I have to go and show this letter to my parents now." Popuri took the letter and ran off.

Cliff turned to me and said, "Let's go for a walk. I have something I want to talk to you about."

He grabbed my hand and we headed off towards Mother's Peak.

…

We sat on Mother's Peak, looking out at the view.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked Cliff.

"Well, it's more of a question, actually," he replied, with a very wide grin. "I've been thinking…I love you very much."

"I love you, too!" I replied quickly and kissed him on the lips.

"So I wanted to ask you…" And all of a sudden, Cliff got up from where we were sitting, came in front of me, knelt down on one knee, and said: "Karen, will you marry me?" while showing me a box with a gorgeous ring in it.

"YES!" I shouted and jumped into his arms, after he slid the ring onto my finger, and we kissed.

_2 months later_

"I can't believe that we are getting married soon!" I gushed to Cliff as we talked over the phone.

"Only 2 more weeks," he said. "You're going to make a gorgeous bride, an amazing wife, and a wonderful mother."

"Aw! Thank you!" I smiled. "You are so sweet! I feel the same about you! Except that you will make a _handsome groom_, an amazing _husband_, and a wonderful _father._"

He laughed, "Well thank you! I can't wait to marry you!" There was a faint call in the background of his line and then he said, "Oh! I have to go and help out in the vineyard. I will see you tonight at the Inn for dinner, right?"

"Of course! I wouldn't miss it!" I was so excited. "I love you!"

"Love you, too, honey!" He replied. "Buh-bye!"

We both hung up.

"KAREN! Karen come quick!" my mother yelled. "Popuri is here to see you!"

"Alright, I'll be down in a minute." I wanted to make myself stop smiling from the phone conversation I had just had. I quickly put on some make-up, fixed my hair, and admired my ring before going downstairs.

"Oh, Karen! It's horrible!" Popuri cried as she rushed over and gathered me into a hug.

"What's horrible?" I asked, as I had no idea what she was talking about.

"Here! I can't tell you! It's too awful! Just read this telegram!" My mother comforted her as I unfolded the small piece of paper.

As soon as I read it, the room started to spin and everything went dark. I fell to the ground as Popuri, my mother, and my father rushed to my side.

I could still hear my father reading the letter to my mother as Cliff came in the door and rushed to my side:

'_Dear Sir or Maam:_

_We are sorry to tell you that dear Rick has died in the war. He died exactly three days ago when a bomb went off near his troop's camp. There were no survivors.'_

My mother and Popuri cried as my father tried to comfort them, while Cliff tried to help me up, after I had fainted.

For the next week and a half, I cried.

**A/N: Oh my gosh! I am so sorry for the horrible ending, but I had to do it. My hands just kept on typing what my mind was thinking. At least Karen and Cliff have a happy ending together! Not all of it was horrible. I do feel bad for Rick though. Anyways! Hope it wasn't too long and you enjoyed the entire story!**

**Disclaimer: The characters of Karen, Lilia, Rick, Popuri, Kai, Cliff and Carter do not belong to me. Neither do Mineral Beach, Mother's Peak, or Mineral Town. They all belong to Natsume.**


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